Czechs edge USA to advance to Olympic hockey semi-finals

Twenty years since Nagano, the Czech hockey team has again edged the United
States in the men’s quarterfinal at the Winter Olympics. At these games,
it was a close affair, with the match coming down to a penalty shootout.

Photo: CTK
The Czech Republic has arguably surpassed expectations at the Winter
Olympics at Pyeongchang with a surprise win the women’s Super-G and other
disciplines. But for many Czechs, the heart of the winter games is hockey,
and it was with excitement and also some nervousness that fans awaited the
quarterfinal matchup between the Czech Republic and the US.

In the end, it was the Czech squad that prevailed.
In the game, the US team drew first blood on a powerplay goal by Ryan
Donato but the Czechs fought back in the first period and got on the
scoreboard on a slapshot from Jan Kolář.

The Czechs then took the lead in the second period on a shot by defenseman
Tomáš Kundrátek. The second period was easily the Czech team’s best:
they continued to outshoot their opponents and the period saw a 10-minute
stretch when the United States were denied a single shot on Pavel
Francouz’s net.
The goalie, who wears the number 33, would be the difference in the game,
although the US tied it in the third.

Pavel Francouz, Jordan Greenway, photo: CTK
The hockey gods, as Czech announcers often like to say, were with the Czech
team at two crucial moments: in the dying minutes of the third, for
example, the US team came centimetres away from getting the go-ahead goal.
With roughly two minutes to go, O’Neill rang a shot off the post.

Then in the 10-minute overtime period, there was no sudden death goal,
meaning the match went to a penalty shootout.

But it was close.

Near the end of the overtime period, a shot by Bobby Sanguinetti slipped
behind Francouz with some 40 seconds left, but the puck dropped flat in the
crease giving the goalie time to find and then smother it.
Any momentum would have seen it go in.

In an interview afterwards, the goalie admitted this was arguably the
tensest moment of the game for him.

It was in the penalty shootout that goalie Pavel Francouz shined the most.
At the Nagano Olympics 20 years ago, many will remember the semi-final
against Canada where the Czechs scored only once in the shootout and star
goaltender Dominik Hašek allowed zero goals for the win.

Petr Koukal scores a goal past Ryan Zapolski, photo: CTK
That scenario was repeated here: US goalie Ryan Zapolski stopped four shots
and allowed only one goal by Petr Koukal who slipped the puck between the
pads. But Francouz blanked all five shooters, clinching the win.
The US has now failed to medal in eight of the 10 Olympic men’s hockey
tournaments since the famous "Miracle on Ice" in 1980.

The Czechs are in the semi-final for the first time since Turin in 2006.
But they will have a tough test ahead: they face the Olympic Athletes from
Russia team, among the heavy favourites to win the entire tournament.

The Russians in their quarterfinal declassed Norway by a score of 6:1.